The Last Mabelcorn: Alternate Ending
by Peacexfreedom
Summary: What if the conflict between Dipper and Ford had ended differently? Spoilers for The Last Mabelcorn. (Now a multi-chapter story.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Several people requested this be continued. I was going to leave it as a one-shot, but inspiration struck. I have changed some things (but only after the line break, so if you read it before, you can skip the top part).**

 **Please read the top A/Ns for rating information (Chapters range from K to T) This chapter is rated K.**

* * *

"Why—Why were you shaking hands with Bill? You said Bill could possess anyone so he could get this. Ahh!"

"Careful. Hand me the rift. Now boy!"

"Why were you really scanning my thoughts? Are you Bill right now?"

"Now just calm down P—"

"Pine tree? Is that what you were going to call me?"

"I was gonna say please, kid."

"Great uncle Ford told me to protect the rift. Get one step closer and I'll shoot. I'll erase you right out of Ford's head." Dipper threatened as he aimed the memory erasing gun.

"It is me, Dipper. It's your uncle."

Dipper closed his eyes and gripped the rift tighter, steeling himself for what he had to do.

"Trust no one. Trust no one. Trust no one." Dipper chanted to himself before pulling the trigger.

"Hand it to me!"

The ray from the memory erasing gun shot forward, but before it could hit Ford's head, his glasses deflected the beam, sending it off to bounce around the room. Dipper kept his eyes glued to the light, following its path, hoping it wouldn't come his way. His fears were realized as the beam of light bounced off a wall and aimed itself at Dipper's head. Quickly scrambling, he tried to move out of its path as the light glowed brighter—

* * *

Dipper opened his eyes, unsure of why they were closed. Before his vision caught up with his brain, Dipper tried to remember what he had been doing just moments ago. All he saw in his mind's eye was black emptiness.

Moments later he registered the scene around him. He was in some room filled with machines and strange looking objects, and the walls were lined with paintings of a triangle with an eye in the center and hands glowing with a blue flame. He sensed the presence of someone else, a looming body nearby. Looking up Dipper saw the source of that feeling.

"Grunkle Stan? What are you doing here? What am _I_ doing here? And where is here, exactly?" Dipper asked, feeling confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Ummm," Dipper mumbled as he put a hand to his head, trying to ease the building pressure as he tried to shake a memory loose. "We were all hanging out in the Shack watching Ducktective. So…where are we? I've never seen this room before."

"We're in the Shack, in a storage room. I haven't used it in a while and the floor is a little run down. You tripped on one of the warped floorboards and hit your head when you fell."

"Oh. Okay," Dipper said trying to use this new information to jog his memory. "I guess that explains the headache."

"If you want, I've got a friend that can help you out. Make sure you don't have a concussion or something."

"Sure, I guess. Probably not a bad idea. I think my hearing's a little messed up. Your voice sounds different."

"Okay. Why don't you let him poke around your brain a bit. Deal?"

"Deal," Dipper agreed, extending his hand to meet the one stretched out before him. His eyes grew wide as a blue flame sparked to life the moment their hands met. Dipper looked up in surprise, staring at the face above him. He saw the square-frame glasses glint before tilting down and clearing up to show the eyes behind them. Yellow eyes with thin slits for pupils.

Vrrq wkh uliw zloo rshq zlgh  
Xqwlo wkhq lq Glsshu'v plqg L'oo klgh.  
Orrn rxw, Vlahu, brxu rog iulhqg lv edfn  
Wr whdu dsduw wklv pbvwhub vkdfn.

* * *

 _I hope you liked it. Review and I'll let you lick Celestabellebethabelle's neck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating: K**

* * *

Ford blinked repeatedly trying to rid the fog from his vision. As he sat up, Ford looked around and tried to piece together why he was on the floor, across the room from Project Mentem. He remembered closing his eyes for a moment while waiting for Dipper's thoughts to be encrypted…Ford turned towards the chair Dipper was sitting in while hooked up to his machine, but found it empty. His heart rate increased at the thought of the kid poking around his lab, afraid he'd find out about his relationship with Bill. His eyes searched the room frantically, looking for the telltale blue vest. His fears were allayed for only a moment when he found the boy lying next to him. His panic returned when he noticed Dipper wasn't moving.

"Dipper!" Ford exclaimed, scrambling toward the 12-year-old. "Dipper! C'mon kid!" He repeated as he gently shook the kid.

After a few seconds, Dipper groaned as his eyes fluttered.

"Hey, kid," Ford breathed a sigh of relief as Dipper came to.

"Hey. Uh, what am I doing on the floor?"

"You don't remember?"

"No. Um, where are we?" Dipper asked, taking in his surroundings.

"In my private study," Ford responded, sounding slightly confused at the question.

"You're what? Grunkle Stan, I don't have time for this."

Ford opened his mouth to respond but came up blank. He was taken aback by Dipper's words.

"Kid," he began, finding his voice. "What month is it?"

"June…Seriously Grunkle Stan, quit messing with me."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"You were giving a tour and had me and Mabel cleaning—wait! Where's Mabel?!" Dipper switched from tired annoyance to a dulled panic. He was never far from his twin, and her absence combined with Stan acting weird had him worried.

"She's fine," Ford tried to sound reassuring. "She's out with Wendy, Candy and Grenda."

"What's a Grenda?"

"Oh boy," Ford had his mind working overtime, trying to piece together what he had learned about what happened this summer before hi return with what Dipper had said. "Okay, listen kid, I gotta do some work in here, but I need you to stay here while I work."

"Ugh," Dipper moaned. "But Grunkle Stan, why do you need me here? Can't I go hang out with Soos or something?"

"No!" Ford blurted out, causing Dipper to shrink back a little. "I mean, uh, I could use the company."

"Fine," Dipper conceded. "Can I at least get a book or something?" He asked, moving towards the door.

"I'll get it for you," Ford quickly moved in front of Dipper, blocking his view of the door. "What book do you want?"

"The Sibling Bros: The Case of the Caper-Case Caper," Dipper told him, still confused as to Stan's odd behavior.

"Alright. I'll be right back."

"Mkay."

As soon as the door shut, Ford stepped quickly, hurrying to get that book and return to Dipper. He didn't want to leave the kid alone, but it was riskier to let him wander around. If Stanley found out he got his memory wiped while the boy was in his care…Ford couldn't even imagine the repercussion.

* * *

Dipper sat on a nearby stool, swinging his legs back and forth as he replayed the scene with Stan. Not only was his great uncle acting oddly, but his voice sounded off, and he was wearing some weird outfit. The man usually wore the same, clothes, so why the drastic wardrobe change?

Hoping to find answers, Dipper slid off the stool and walked around the room. There were countless banners lining the walls, each exactly the same: a yellow triangle with an eye in the middle, hands lit with blue flames.

"Geez, these better not be going up in the Shack," Dipper told no one. Looking around more, he found statues depicting the same triangle. "What? Did he join a cult or something?" He asked aloud, picking up one of the statues.

"Put that down!" Ford yelled, bursting into the room.

"I'm not gonna break it," Dipper said as he set the statue back on the table. "What is all this stuff? A new "attraction" or something?" He asked, using his fingers to make air quotes as he said 'attraction'.

"Um, yeah. Here's your book kid. Alright, why don't you go sit down and read over there," Ford instructed as he pointed towards the desk. "I have work to do over here."

Dipper eyed Ford as he took the book. He looked down to make sure his great uncle had grabbed the right one, he flinched in surprise.

"Grunkle Stan, why do you have six fingers on each hang?!"

"Uh…it's just a new gimmick I'm trying out. You know, for the tours," Ford rushed, hoping the answer would work.

Not fully convinced, but not sure about prying further, Dipper silently took the book. He shot Ford a distrusting glance, telling him that he knew something didn't fit, just with that one look. Nonetheless, Dipper complied and moved towards the desk and took a set on the chair.

Ford looked at Dipper, guilt tearing him up inside. Whatever happened that caused Dipper to lose his memory was probably his fault. As he tried to think back to what happened, Ford's eyes landed on the memory erasing gun lying abandoned on the floor. Picking it up, he couldn't hold back a small gasp as he heard the memory tube rolling around inside. It didn't take a lot of effort to figure out whose memories were in there. His mind was racing, trying to think of ways to solve the problem at hand.

 _Aha_ , Ford thought to himself, smiling at his brilliance. _If I rewire Project Mentem, I could use it to give Dipper his memories back_. He made his way back to Project Mentem, already breaking down the machine in his mind, deciding the most efficient way to make the memory tube compatible with the computer.

* * *

Dipper and Ford sat quietly, the only sounds penetrating their silence were that of pages turning and Ford moving about by the computer. Several hours passed this way before either acknowledged the other's presence.

"Okay," Ford said triumphantly. "Good to go. Hey Dipper," he called over, getting the preteen's attention. "Come over here."

"What?" Dipper put his book face down before making his way towards Ford.

"Alright, sit right here and put this on your head," Ford gestured to the nearby stool as he held out the Project Mentem helmet, now rewired to be a memory-restoring helmet.

"No way. I don't know what that thing is."

"Just do it, kid," Ford said with a hint of a frustrated tone in his voice.

"I said no," Dipper crossed his arms defiantly.

Ford growled in frustration. "Dipper!" He said firmly, causing the younger Pine to stand up straight, hands at his sides. "Sit down and put. On. The. Helmet. Now!" Ford commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Dipper hesitantly took the helmet and placed it on his head. Although he was still wary, Dipper obeyed knowing that whatever this thing was was serious, and Grunkle Stan would never make him do something that would harm him.

"Thank you," Ford said calmly. "Now, just sit tight for a minute." He felt bad about yelling at the kid but this was for his own good. For _both_ of their own good. Pushing back his guilt, Ford turned on the machine and adjusted the controls before turning it on.

Dipper felt a tingle coming from the helmet. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, telling himself that this was safe and that he shouldn't run.

* * *

 _Well, it looks like old Sixer figured out how to reverse that cute little ray gun. I'm kinda glad. A mind-wiped Pine Tree is no fun. But we can't have him remember that I'm in here. Let's just fix that…_

* * *

Eyes still closed, Dipper saw black in his mind's eye. But that was soon filled with an image of a yellow triangle. As the triangle took shape, it blinked open its eye before holding a finger to where its mouth might be. "Shh…" he heard it whisper. Dipper saw a series of images and words enter the voice, each passing through the triangle before dissipating. He saw his summer pass by in bits and fragments, all being filtered through the triangle before fading. He didn't know how much time had passed, but after what seemed like hours, the incoming images became fewer before they stopped altogether. The triangle began to fade, but not before he heard an echoed whisper "forget."

Dipper opened his eyes, staring at Ford.

"So…" Ford began. "Do you know who I am?" He was mentally crossing his fingers, hoping the machine worked.

"Yeah. You're Grunkle Stan," Dipper said plainly. At this, Ford's eyes widened before growing solemn. "Just kidding. You're Grunkle Ford."

Ford breathed a sigh of relief, but not before shooting Dipper a glare showing his displeasure with the kid's joke.

"That was so weird," Dipper said as he took off the helmet and handed it back to Ford. "I remember getting hit by the memory erasing gun…" Dipper trailed off as he vaguely recalled why the gun had been fired in the first place. He remembered there being something about Bill Cipher, and the feeling of fear attached to that hazy moment, but he couldn't remember _why_. "Then, nothing. Well, nothing until five seconds ago. Wait, if I got hit, how come I _remember_ getting hit? Oh no! What did I forget? How would I know?" He began panicking.

"Dipper, Dipper. Calm down," Ford placed a reassuring hand on Dipper's shoulder. His eyes softened as they met the boy's, trying to further calm him. "I rewired the machine and used it to restore your memories."

"Wow. Thanks! Aw man, I can't even image what mighta happened if my mind stayed erased."

"No problem, kid," Ford said as he ruffled Dipper's hair. "Why don't you head up and I'll meet you in a bit. Maybe we could have a D, D and More D rematch?"

"Okay," Dipper waved as he went up the stairs and into the elevator.

Ford smiled as he watched the kid go, but his grin fell the instant the door shut. He was glad he was able to restore Dipper's memories, but there was still the matter of _his_ lost time. Ford had a gap in his memory between falling asleep at his desk and waking up to find Dipper unconscious. He looked around again, trying to find a clue to help him remember, but nothing helped.

"Maybe if I give my brain a break, it'll come to me," Ford tried to convince himself as he too left the room.

* * *

"Here ya go, kid," Ford offered Dipper a can of Pitt Cola. He had come upstairs to find Dipper re-reading Journal 1…again.

"Thanks," Dipper smiled as he accepted the proffered drink. "So, wanna play What Could Go Wrong?"

"Did someone say "unicorn hair"?" Mabel interrupted as she slammed a fistful of rainbow hairs on the table.

"Uh, no, actually?" Dipper and Ford couldn't help but stare at the four girls, all of them beat up and covered in what look like liquid rainbow.

"Oh. That would have been perfect. Either way we got some unicorn hair!" Mabel showed off her prize by waving it in Dipper's face.

"Also some unicorn tears, unicorn eyelashes..."

"They finally gave us this treasure just to get rid of us!" Grenda finished as she and Candy dumped the aforementioned treasure onto the table.

"It... can't be! This is a great day, girls! With this unicorn hair, we should be able to completely shield the shack from Bill's mind-reading tricks!"

"Is it okay?"

"Better than okay; it's perfect! You've protected your family. You're a good person, Mabel."

"Thanks, Grunkle Ford, but today I learned that morality is relative."

"MONEY!" Stanley shouted as he ran away with an armful of treasure.

"Why don't you girls go and get cleaned up while Dipper and I put this unicorn hair to use."

"Okay. C'mon girls," Mabel said cheerily as she led the girls upstairs. As they walked away, Dipper and Ford heard them say something about punching, and blood, and something called a Celestab-something.

"I'll go get the rest of the supplies from my lab. You start separating these hairs. We're going to need individual strands of hair."

"On it," Dipper cheesily saluted and set about clearing off the table so that he would have enough room to separate the glittery bundle.

* * *

Forty minutes later, the two mystery-seeking Pines found themselves outside. Ford stood back, letting Dipper have the honor of gluing on the final unicorn hair. Once the hair was in place, a dome covered in alchemic symbols formed above the shack, before fading out of sight.

"Perfect! This will protect is from Bill! As long as we're inside, our minds are safe. Now how about that game?"

"Sure! I'll go get it," Dipper ran ahead to gather the game, neither Pine aware that his eyes briefly flashed yellow and his pupils turned to narrow slits.

Jrrg mre, brx'yh mxvw exlow brxu rzq sulvrq  
Vrrq doo brx'oo vhh lv fulpvrq  
Wkh hqg jdph kdv mxvw ehjxq  
Dqg qrz lw'v wlph wr kdyh vrph ixq

* * *

 _A/N: I realized that I have Ford call Dipper "kid" a lot. When I was writing it, I read it in my head in their voices, and in my mind it sounded/felt right with Ford addressing him as "kid" half the time. Sorry if they're OOC. Let me know what you think. Do you think they were OOC? Was there any part that didn't make sense? Criticism is always appreciated._

 _I'll give a free package of Smile Dip to everyone that reviews :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Rating: K**_

 **A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and favorites. I didn't expect such an amazing response. Thank you, guys :) I tried to send each of you packages of Smile Dip, but Fanfiction froze on a picture of Das Flavör Pups. After this chapter there will be three endings, each a different genre: dark, humor, and sad.**

* * *

The following week passed uneventfully. It had rained for a few days, which Ford was thankful for because it meant he didn't have to fight to keep his family inside. They passed the time watching Ducktective reruns and playing Necronomiconopoly and Don't Wake Stalin. Even though they were trapped inside by the threat of a dream demon, the Pines all secretly enjoyed the family time.

"Hey Dipper," Mabel greeted her twin as he joined her in the kitchen.

"Mornin' Mabel," he finished his sentence with a yawn.

"Tired, bro? Oh, here! Have some cereal. The sugar always wakes me up," she passed her brother a bowl. "Let me guess, you stayed up reading The Sibling Bros again?"

"Heh, yeah," Dipper chuckled halfheartedly as he poured milk into his bowl of sugary goodness. Truth was, he didn't stay up reading. He couldn't figure out why he was tired. "So…sun's out. Wanna try FCLORP-ing with Soos?"

"Why not?" Mabel said around a mouthful of cereal.

* * *

By nightfall, Dipper was yawning every thirty seconds, tired from the day, and from the unrested feeling he woke up with.

"G'nite, bro. Don't stay up too late reading," Mabel teased before turning away from Dipper and closing her eyes.

"G'nite," he replied, eyes already drifting shut.

* * *

Ford was in the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water before he went to bed, just as the kids had done a little while ago. Walking back to his room, Ford heard movement coming from the attic stairs.

"I thought they said they were going to sleep," he mumbled to himself, hoping that he wasn't walking into an argument with a pre-teen about the importance of sleep. As he turned towards the stairs, Ford immediately found the source of the noise.

"Dipper? What are you doing? I thought you said you were tired."

"Great Uncle Ford," Dipper stuttered, looking up to meet his great uncle's gaze. "I was, but I couldn't fall asleep," he answered slightly shakily.

"You couldn't sleep…so you got up and decided to play with a slinky on the stairs? At 12 o'clock at night?" he asked skeptically.

"Heh, yep," Dipper said, looking down at the slinky in his hands.

"Bed. Now," Ford commanded, too tired himself to argue with the kid.

"Kay," Dipper slunk back to the room he shared with Mabel. _When did I get up? And where did the slinky come from? How come I don't remember?_ He thought to himself as he crawled back under his blanket. Once again, he drifted off to sleep, pulled under by exhaustion. His mind was too tired to register the image of a yellow triangle fading into the black behind his closed lids. He thought he heard an echoed laugh, but it could have just been the wind outside.

* * *

 _That was a close call, right Pine Tree? Old Sixer almost discovered our little secret. Yeah right! The man can't even calculate the square root of nightmares times a bucketful of children's tears. Thanks for the fun Pine Tree. Man, I love watching those little slinkys fall down the stairs, even though they're not screaming in pain. Sleep well, Pine Tree…_

* * *

"Hey Dippingsause. Check it out! Grunkle Ford made us waffles!" Mabel exclaimed when she saw Dipper enter the kitchen. As he sat down she slid a plate of waffles across the table.

"Wow. These are great!" He remarked, taking a bite of his syrup-drenched waffle.

"Thanks, kid," Ford said as he sat down with his own plate.

"So, didya get more sleep last night?" She asked Dipper.

"Uh," he started before being interrupted by Ford.

"Certainly not before midnight. I found him pushing a slinky down the steps Seriously kid," he turned to address Dipper "why were you doing that?"

"Dipper!" Mabel whined. "You stayed up to play and didn't even wake me? What gives?"

"I couldn't sleep and got bored. And I didn't wake you because it was late and you need sleep, too."

Mabel pouted for a moment before shrugging and pouring syrup in every hole of her waffle. Ford still seemed unconvinced, but let the matter drop, sensing Dipper's distress.

"Wanna make attic stuff mini golf again?" Mabel suggested.

"Sure."

"Hey Grunkle Ford, wanna join us?"

"Sorry kiddo, but I have work to do downstairs." Mabel frowned, disappointed that he wouldn't play with them. "Maybe next time, okay?" He tried to cheer her up.

"Okay," she said with a small smile.

* * *

"Alright, I think I'm going to turn in," Dipper said after glancing at their makeshift scorecard.

"That's just 'cus you're tired of losing. Ha!" Mabel joked, getting a chuckle in response.

"Hey, how can I beat a mini golf champion?"

"I am awesome, aren't I?" She boasted as the two made their way towards their beds.

"Meh, we'll clean it up tomorrow," Dipper said when he looked around at the mess the attic had become in order to be transformed into a mini golf course.

"G'nite bro bro. And remember, if you wake up to play, wake me up too, okay?"

"Kay," he agreed with the expectation that he'd sleep through the night. Dipper shut his eyes, looking forward to a full night's sleep.

* * *

A second after Dipper's eyes closed, they reopened, this time showing yellow eyes with black slits instead of his normal brown eyes. _Geez, I thought he'd never go to sleep. Time to have some more fun._ Bill looked towards Mabel and listened to her breathing, checking that she was asleep. Confirming that she wouldn't follow him, Bill hoped out of Dipper's bed, literally, and padded quietly towards the door.

Bill sat down on the bench under the window in the attic of the Shack. He sat with his legs crossed and his arms stretched in front of him. He used one hand to bend a finger on the other hand back as far as he could, and then a little more, laughing quietly as he felt the pain. He sat there for hours, repeating the same steps for each finger countless times.

Once the fun wore thin, Bill listened for movement in the Shack. Hearing nothing nearby or on the staircase, he ventured downstairs, treading lightly so he wouldn't catch anyone's attention, lest someone be up. Tip-toeing and peeking around corners, he checked the den, the kitchen and the gift shop. Nothing. Further exploration revealed that both Stans were sound asleep, leaving Bill free to move about without getting caught.

He made his way outside, opening the gift shop's door just enough to slip through so that the bell wouldn't ring. Bill walked outside and immediately spotted the fine line of unicorn hair wrapping around the Shack. Never taking his eyes off of the rainbow-colored line, he circled the building's exterior. He walked around the Shack, past the museum entrance and various windows, careful not to make a noise outside the windows of the two Stans' rooms.

Passing the back porch, he turned the corner and saw a few trees and a broken toilet sitting in the back corner of the building. He traced the glittering line of unicorn hair with his eyes, watching it line the outside wall of the Shack and disappear behind the trees and garbage.

Bill grinned, laughing inside at how perfect everything was turning out to be. He clambered behind the trees and ducked into the corner, reaching towards the most out-of-the-way wall possible. It took him a moment to locate the line of unicorn hair that bordered the Shack, unbroken even in the hidden back corner.

Bill reached towards the hair and scraped a few inches away, laughing as he felt his fingers tingle with pain as they scratched against the rough wood of the Shack. Leaning back, Bill inspected his handiwork, eyeing it to make sure that there was a gap in the protective lining. Happy with the result, he climbed out of the corner and into the open, beside the Shack. Looking back towards the corner, he tried to see if the gap was visible from where he was standing, but the trees and broken toilet hid it. No one would know the barrier was broken unless they actively looked for the gap.

Satisfied, Bill returned to the Shack, quietly making his way to the attic. He brushed any stray twigs and leaves out of his hair, removing the evidence of his late night excursion outside, before climbing under the covers.

"Good night, Pine Tree," he whispered jokingly before shutting his eyes and retreating into Dipper's mind once again.

* * *

Once again, Dipper woke up inexplicably exhausted. And to top it off, a few of his fingers felt raw. Looking down at the source of the dulled pain, he saw a few of his fingertips red and scraped up.

"What the—?" he mumbled to himself. Something weird was going on, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. _How ironic_ , he thought to himself. Dipper sat in bed for a few minutes, trying to think of the reason why he'd been so tired recently, and _why_ his fingers looked like they'd been rubbed against coarse sandpaper. Coming up blank, he decided to head downstairs and start his day.

He descended the stairs, changing his train of thought to what he'd have for breakfast. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, a voice echoed in his head, telling him to turn right. Following the faint mental nudge, he walked through the den and into the gift shop. Pausing, he looked around, confused as to why he came into the empty room. Before he could think too hard about _why_ he was there, Dipper heard another echo, whispering to him, telling him to go down to Ford's lab. Following the suggestion, he entered the code on the vending machine and walked down the stairs feeling slightly disoriented.

Upon entering the lab, he saw Ford sitting at his desk, writing in one of the journals. The elder Pine looked up as he heard the door open.

"Oh, Dipper, come in," he waved the boy over. Walking closer, Dipper saw a detailed drawing of the interdimensional rift on the open page. "So, what brings you down here?" Dipper tore his gaze away from the journal and met Ford's eyes. To be honest, he had no clue why he came down, but before he could say that to Ford he heard the voice whisper to him, telling him to get Ford out of the room.

"I came down to ask for your help in the kitchen. Grunkle Stan put some of the cereal on the top shelf of the cabinet; he had to hide it from Mabel after she got a bit…destructive on her last sugar high." Even though the excuse was spurred on by a vague feeling to get the man out of the room, the story about Mabel was true. He learned from Stan that the best lies are the ones based on the truth.

"Sure thing, kid," Ford smiled before walking up the stairs. Once the man was out of sight, Dipper walked closer to the desk, following the suggestion of the nameless whisper. _Find the rift_ , it told him. He followed the instructions, vaguely aware that something was wrong, but unable to stop his actions. Sliding open the metal siding on the desk, he found the rift, hidden away from everyone but Ford and himself. Dipper reached towards it, moving in a daze. Just as his fingers brushed against the glass, his vision cut out and his consciousness disappeared in one quick snap.

* * *

Ford was halfway up the stairs before he realized that he hadn't even asked Dipper which cereal he wanted. He turned around and headed back to the lab.

"Hey Dipper, which cereal did you—" he began as he approached the door. As the door swung open, he saw Dipper standing by the desk, facing away from him. Even with his back turned, Ford could see the rift cupped in Dipper's hands. "Dipper," he tried to keep his voice level as he slowly approached the boy. "Put that down. Slowly," he continued forward, trying to coax the kid to put the rift back before he had the chance to drop it.

Dipper turned around, his head down as he stared at the rift in his hands. "Sure. I'll put it down," he said as he looked up. Ford froze in fear as his eyes met a pair of eyes tinged yellow and the pupils only black slits. He could only stare, too far to reach for the rift as Dipper raised it above his head before throwing it to the ground with all of his might.

The glass shattered, spraying in every direction as a wind blew outwards, as though a strong pressure was just released. Ford saw Bill phase out of Dipper's head and watched the boy link rapidly, shaking his head as though to clear it. Dipper and Ford immediately turned their attention to the growing light, colored by swirls of dark reds and purples. The air itself seemed to break open as a flame-colored crack spread wider with each passing second.

Moving into action, Ford ran to Dipper and scooped the kid up under one arm before running up the stairs.

"Time to party," they heard Bill call as they made their escape.

Wkh uliw lv rshq, mxvw olnh L sodqqhg  
Vrrq brxu grrp zloo eh dw kdqg.  
Wkh gdun vhhg kdv wdnhq urrw,  
Brxu dwwhpsw wr vwrs ph vxuh zdv fxwh.

* * *

 _A/N: I am going to shamelessly put in the link for my attic stuff mini golf (real life edition). If you feel like watching, here's the link. I hope you like it. (Credit also goes to my friends, one who filmed it, and another who co-built it and edited the video). {Yes the period is in between "youtu" and "be". Remove the spaces:} youtu . be_ _/9khCdf-v3Ts_

 _Notes about canon content: There are several actions and/or stage directions in this chapter that seem random or made up, but are actually canon. They are (1) The bit with Bill bending Dipper's fingers as far back as they could go is actually from Dipper's and Mabel's Guide to Mystery and Nonstop Fun! In one of the pages, Bill wrote a list of things that are fun. One of them is "bending your fingers backwards as far as you can." (2) Descriptions of both the interior and the exterior of the Shack are the same that would be used in the show. I looked at images and clips of episodes for the floor plan of the Shack, as well as the layout of the exterior._

 _Let me know what you think. Reviews are always welcome, or as Ducktective would say "Quack quack quack quack. Quack quack quack!"_


	4. Ending 1- Dark

**Rating: T (for violence)**

A/N: Don't worry, I didn't forget about this! This chapter is one of three endings to this fic, each chapter separate from the other two.

* * *

Ford ran as fast as he could, feeling his legs burn as he pushed them to move faster Without slowing down to think about where to go, he bolted out of the Shack and headed into the woods. Hopefully they could buy some time hidden in the trees.

"Grunkle Ford," Dipper finally found his voice, just as Ford slowed to a stop once they were deep in the woods, the Shack long since out of sight. "What just happened? What did I do?!"

" _You_ didn't do anything, kid." He set down Dipper in front of him. "It was Bill. Somehow, he got into your mind."

"When?! How?!" Dipper asked frantically.

"I don't know, kid," Ford had no reassuring words. His greatest fear just became a reality. Right now, he needed someone to reassure _him_. "We'll…we'll fix this. We're both smart. I'm sure that, between the two of us, we'll think of a plan."

"Yeah, you'll think of a plan," Bill mocked as he materialized behind the two humans. The Pines turned around, facing their enemy who was now hovering half a dozen feet above their heads.

"You've won, Bill. What more do you want?" Ford spat out, hating to admit his defeat but hoping he could convince the demonic triangle to leave.

"I just wanted to thank you. I couldn't have done it without you, Sixer." Bill floated down and circled around Dipper. "And let's not forget Pine Tree here. He deserves some credit, too," he said as he ruffled Dipper's hair. "I've got a riddle for you," Bill continued as he floated back to face Dipper and Ford. "If a Pine Tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear him scream, is it still funny?" He lifted his arm, finger pointed at Dipper as he made the boy levitate. Ford could only stare, mouth agape in fear and horror as Bill flicked his wrist and he heard a loud crack as Dipper's head jerked sharply sideways. Bill lowered his arm, releasing the boy from his telepathic grip and letting him fall to the ground, hitting it with a hard thud. Ford ran to Dipper, falling to his knees and scooping the kid up in his arms.

"Dipper? Dipper! C'mon kid," he said frantically as he shook the body in his arms, trying to ignore how the head seemed to move freely.

"Nope. Still funny," Bill laughed.

"W-why?...How…?" Ford struggled to find his voice. "You have no dominion in our world! You can't affect anything outside the mindscape!"

"New rules, Sixer. When that portal opened, my realm bled into yours. Pine Tree opened a door that let my pals and _my powers_ come through." Bill explained happily. "I'm at full strength, here. Still think you can stop me?"

"No…This can't be happening…" Ford whispered to himself, unwilling to believe that they lost and scared of how utterly powerless they all were.

"So, wanna give Shooting Star the news, or shall I?"

"You leave my family alone!" Ford yelled.

"But where would be the fun in that? C'mon, let's go tell her together." Bill snapped his fingers and the three of them were immediately back in the Shack. Ford found himself sitting on Dipper's bed, still holding the boy in his arms.

A moment later Mabel came into the room, brushing her hair, still wet from the shower. "Hey Grunkle Ford," she greeted when she noticed him on Dipper's bed. "What—" She abruptly topped as she fully processed the scene. "W-what's going on? Why are you here? Why's _Bill_ here?" She slowly lowered the hair brush. "Where's D—" The brush clattered to the floor, falling from her loosened grip as she saw what was in Ford's arms. "Dipper!" She ran forward. "C'mon bro. This isn't funny. I—I'm being Ker-Prank'd. Right?...Right?" Her voice wavered the second time, eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at Ford.

"I'm so sorry kiddo," he looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

"You—you're a monster!" She spun to face Bill.

"Aww thanks. I try. Hey, did you know that Shooting Stars are just balls of rock speeding through your atmosphere, burning at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit? Wanna see one?"

Before Ford could even open his mouth, Bill snapped his fingers and the stench of burning flesh assaulted his nostrils. Unable to do anything, Ford turned his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he pretended not to hear the screaming and convincing himself that the sudden wave of heat was just a hot summer breeze blowing in. All too soon, or maybe not soon enough, the voice stopped screaming and a maniacal laughter replaced it, filling the quiet room.

"Oh man," Bill pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "That was great. So, Sixer, wanna go have some more fun?"

Ford was too stunned to move, much less speak. He didn't struggle when he felt ropes materialize around him, bounding his wrists and legs.

"C'mon," Bill waved Ford over, making the man float next to him. "Let's pain the town red."

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Wkhq L vxjjhvw wkdw brx vwduw uxqqlqj.  
Qrzkhuh lv vdih, wklv uhdop lv qrz plqh,  
Doo wkdqnv wr brx wzr Slqhv.

* * *

 _A/N That was a lot darker than I expected. I wasn't going to kill Mabel, but it just sorta happened. Good thing Gravity Falls is on Disney, I don't know how dark it could get if it was on a different network. Then again, Alex Hirsch did say "At least one character will not survive the season."_

 _Anyways, let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome. Also, if you have any requests for another GF story, let me know! (I enjoyed writing this, and would love to write more but don't have many ideas)_


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